


Sacrifice

by elderbwrry



Series: Huxloween [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Halloween Costumes, Heist, Huxloween 2020, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26747206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elderbwrry/pseuds/elderbwrry
Summary: Kylo wants Hux to come to the Halloween party. What will he have to sacrifice to do it?
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Series: Huxloween [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1957468
Comments: 14
Kudos: 34
Collections: Huxloween 2020





	Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> asjdjkjh this is a bit of a mess but enjoy

“Who will do it?” Phasma asks gravely, looking around at their little group. “Who will make this sacrifice?”

Kylo can feel everyone vibrating with nervous energy. There are just the five of them there at the moment, Rose, Phasma, Poe, Finn and himself, huddled together in the dimly lit corridor. Time is of the essence. They need to rendezvous with Rey as soon as possible, if they want to get to the transport – there's only so long they can make her wait.

The dingy light above them flickers.

“Come on,” Phasma prompts, injecting some more urgency into her voice.

“If you're so worried, you do it!” Finn counters, glancing around.

“I can't do it,” she hisses back.

“Why?”

“You know why-!”

“Maybe we should just draw straws,” Poe interrupts their bickering. He's right to; they don't have time for this.

Rose gives him a look. “What straws?”

Poe sighs. They don't have straws. He rubs his forehead. “Well someone has to do it.”

“I'll do it,” Kylo announces.

Everyone in the group turns to look at him, a slow glide of eyes as if they can barely bear to believe someone has said yes. He doesn't take his own gaze off where it is fixed on the target, through the doors at the corridor's end. No one says anything for a second, and Kylo knows; they want to tell him he can't, but they're all secretly relieved.

“Are you sure?” Rose whispers.

“You can't,” Poe says, reaching across the circle they've formed and clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Just think of your relationship. Think of what you're risking.”

Meeting Poe's eyes, Kylo nods and gently removes his hand. “I'm willing to risk it.” They nod at each other.

“Right,” Phasma says, stepping forward and drawing Kylo round to face the target.

Through the door a few metres in front of them, light spills out into the dim corridor. The walls around it are decorated for Halloween, spooky posters stuck up alongside ghost tinsel and fake spider webs, but the undecorated library itself is lit in a cozy, yellow light, and books upon books climb the backdrop on shelves of rich wood. A little in the foreground, sat at a desk and thoroughly immersed in his work, sits academic devotee Armitage Hux.

Their little group have been planning for weeks now to go to the big college Halloween party, a killer one out by the corn mazes on the edge of town, one that any student would be foolish to miss. They all wanted to go, and every single one of them had thrown themselves into getting together a costume, organising transport and clearing their schedule; all until Hux had told them that he wouldn't be able to attend.

“I'm busy,” he'd argued.

“Doing _what_?” Kylo had demanded, looking up at his boyfriend from where he was lying across his lap during one of their group movie nights.

“I've got to study.”

Well, Kylo was disappointed to say the least, until Phasma had suggested that he would simply need an incentive to come. It would be a sacrifice, however; Kylo has experienced before in their relationship Hux's wrath, and it turns out he is very adept at ignoring Kylo while driving him absolutely insane. If Hux didn't like this... it could mean the cold shoulder all over again. Quite a sacrifice, in his opinion.

“If plan A doesn't work, I think the coffee is your best bet,” Phasma identifies, pointing at the cup sat on the desk next to Hux. “If you can get that, he will come out, either to get more or-”

“To enact his revenge,” Kylo confirms, squaring up. “I'm ready.”

“Good luck, man,” he hears Poe say as he approaches the library entryway.

Kylo glances back but once at their strange little group; the party conditions are that every attendee needs a costume, and it turned out that none of them could co-ordinate clothes for shit. Poe is currently giving him the thumbs up from behind the aviators of his flyboy costume (“This is just your normal jacket,” Finn had accused him, and Poe made no attempt to deny it), whereas Finn had gotten a Starfleet uniform from somewhere, complete with the badge and communicator. Rose is sporting a Xena costume, Phasma has constructed a convincing Ripley outfit and somewhere outside, Rey is waiting for them in an uncanny Daphne costume, like she's popped directly out of Scooby-Doo.

As for Kylo himself, he has given in to the others' suggestions, and is wearing a cheap Jon Snow costume. It doesn't look great – the armour is plastic and doesn't quite fit properly – but he's really vibing with the plastic sword, which makes a satisfying _bonk_ sound when he hits people with it. He is, however, getting funny looks from the librarian, whose only concession to the season is a fake pumpkin on the desk.

He pads across the room, painfully aware of everything around him. Behind, his friends, urging him on. In front, Hux, who still hasn't looked up from his work. To the left, the librarian, who may just ban him from the library for what he's about to pull. That's also a sacrifice he's willing to make.

“Hey, babe,” he says when he reaches the table, adding a little purr into his tone. He's not above trying to flirt Hux out to the party.

“I'm not coming, Kylo,” Hux replies flatly, gaze only switching from his book to his notepad.

“But I'll miss you.”

“You're welcome to stay.”

“You'd get annoyed with me.”

“I'm getting annoyed with you anyway, what's your point?”

“Hux,” Kylo says seriously.

Hux finishes his sentence and finally looks up at Kylo, taking in his messy manbun and dark 'armour' with no sign of amusement. “What?”

“Please join us,” Kylo begs, pouting in a way he knows Hux is not immune to. “You've been working so much at the moment, just come and goof around with us. For one night.”

Hux sighs, his head falling to the side. He hasn't put down his pen yet, though, so Kylo knows there is still convincing left to do. “I don't have a costume. I thought this party had a dress code.”

Kylo smiles. “I've got you a costume.”

Hux leans around to look at the door Kylo has just entered from, and when Kylo looks behind him to see what's happening, he sees the others darting out of sight behind the wall. “Dare I ask?” Hux begins, before his face falls, “Oh god, it's not a Daenerys costume is it? Firstly, you know how I feel about 'couples costumes' and secondly, I'm not some mass destroyer of cities, so-”

“No, no,” Kylo waves his objections away. “It's not that. Besides, if I was going to make you anyone, it would be Tormund.” He flashes a grin. “You'd look great with the axe. But no,” Kylo reaches into his pocket and withdraws Hux's 'costume', holding it out in the palm of his hand.

Hux looks at it. Then he frowns and reads out the name written on the sticker. “God.” Then, he sighs and turns back to his work. “Very clever, Kylo, but that's a cop out.”

Kylo wants to point out that if Hux had just _organised his costume with the rest of them_ , there would be no need for a 'cop out', but instead he uses the answer he had prepared. “No, it's [an Oz costume](https://longagoandohsofaraway.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/oz-as-god-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-6641285-1024-576.jpg). From the Buffy Halloween episode. The one with the, uh, haunted house.”

This causes Hux to stop and think again, pursing his lips. Kylo likes to think he knows; Buffy is the way to Hux's heart. He's sure for a second he's got it just right and convinced his boyfriend, that he won't have resort to coffee stealing, until Hux shakes his head again. “No. I won't be manipulated.”

“Ugh,” Kylo says, reaching forward and closing Hux's book with a slap of pages, keeping his hand on the cover even as Hux glares at him. “So it's fine for you to manipulate me into studying, but not for me to manipulate you into self care?”

“Getting drunk and eating an unholy amount of candy is not self care.”

“Having a good time with your friends is.”

Hux visibly bites back a retort, glancing over to the stern-looking librarian. He clearly doesn't want to cause a scene. “You should go and have one then,” his voice sounds carefully controlled. “I'll give you a kiss before you go, if you like, but then you have to _go_. Understand?” His eyes look so serious, and Kylo almost can't control his laugh at knowing what he's about to do.

Kylo rounds the desk, and leans down to Hux, keeping his hand on the textbook even though the angle is a little awkward. Hux slides one hand up to Kylo's shoulder as their lips meet, a gentle press before one of them – Kylo is too busy figuring out how he's going to get the coffee to really pay attention, or even properly enjoy the kiss, which is a little sad, he supposes, since it might be the last until Hux forgives him for this – opens their lips and deepens it. For the briefest of seconds, Kylo is almost drawn into it, the idea of kissing his boyfriend goodbye as a good luck for studying before parting ways, but the promise of reward should this venture succeed outweighs the risk of forgetting his purpose at this critical juncture.

They pull apart, which Hux even has the gall to look a little sad about, and just as he – altogether too tenderly – says, “Enjoy it for me,” Kylo wraps his fingers around the spine of the book, darts forward to grab the half-full cup of coffee, and sprints towards the door.

“Hey!” the librarian snaps as he runs past, and Kylo hears an angered hiss of his name behind him, followed by the clunking of a chair being pulled out, pens being shoved into a bag, and swift footsteps on the floor after him.

He doesn't slow down.

When he reaches the door, the others are still waiting, and instead of stopping and discussing what they should do next, Kylo just shoots past and says, “Run! Fucking, run!” They heed his advice, all giggling and slapping the soles of their shoes down the linoleum corridor loudly enough that Kylo barely hears when an extra set of footsteps join them from back at the library.

They burst out of the doors, collectively making for where Rey is waiting with the minivan they borrowed from Luke – Han wouldn't let them have the cool car, and the Falcon didn't really have enough space in it anyway – flying across the paved quad. They're about to round a corner to the road, when the doors they've just come out of clang again, and Kylo hears a cry.

“Kylo, I can't fucking believe you!” Hux shouts, and Kylo slows, looking back to see that Hux has done the same, and is looking lost, hurt and furious all at once.

For all Kylo is a bit taller than Hux, the redhead has always been faster than him, and at this point, if he stops fully, Hux will catch him with ease. But then, he decides it doesn't really matter. It's enough that he's gotten Hux up and about, with that delightful flush on his cheeks from the sprint followed immediately by the cold of Halloween night. His hair has even fallen out of place a bit. Kylo will fix that for him happily.

“What?” Hux demands, still closing the distance between them as Kylo stops. “This isn't funny, Ren.”

“Kylo, don't stop!” Rose shouts from the group, which also sounds like it's slowed down.

“Idiot,” he hears Phasma add.

“Well, it is a bit,” Kylo smirks.

“It's not.”

“It seems like everything you want,” he wiggles his shoulders, “is over here. You'll have to come get it.”

“Trust me, you won't want anything I'm about to 'get' from you,” Hux threatens, and despite himself, Kylo feels a shiver of anticipation run up his spine at the curl of his lip. Hux is almost on him now, and Kylo gives up on the idea that he'll manage to get Hux to go if he doesn't want to. “Give me my shit back,” Hux says, reaching out for his coffee and his book.

Unfortunately, just as his extended hand comes within range, Kylo begins to hand his coffee back to him, and what with the momentum of Hux still closing on him, their arms collide, sending the cup flying up into the air.

For Kylo, this happens in a few, painful seconds, but for now, I briefly invite you to venture into Hux's own perspective.

He's annoyed beyond belief at his stupid boyfriend, who has interrupted his study time and has managed to do it so effectively while looking like a fool in that dumb plastic armour, something which he still manages to pull off with astounding attractiveness. He's already considering ways to make Kylo suffer, but more importantly, he's got his mind on getting back to his studying, the integral element of which is retrieving his stolen coffee.

The cup is still fine, thank god, held captive inside Kylo's large hand, which has miraculously not squished it. He wants it back; inside is contained a season special, a spiced fusion with foam which he has not yet gotten to enjoy, as the angle the liquid tilts at when he takes a sip renders it difficult to reach until the final few sips.

He reaches for it, the only thing which will salvage his motivation to study, at this point.

He's almost there when Kylo reaches as well – his mind absently registers this as sweet. Kylo wants to make it up to him, give up this charade and hand back his comfort drink. Maybe Hux won't make things so bad for him, since he has shown this sign of repentance – when suddenly their hands collide in a tumult of clumsiness, a crash of hubris, an explosion of motion.

The blow separates the cup from Kylo's hand, separates the lid from the holder, separates Hux's hopes for his studying from his own mind. In slow motion, it arcs up into the air, over their heads and to the left, a bow of brown liquid dancing in the air like a beautiful ballet dancer mid-leap.

Hux's mouth drops open; he can only watch as his long-awaited coffee crashes, splashes, splatters across the paved floor, cast heartlessly asunder. His study mood is fucking ruined, now. He may as well just go to the party. And all it cost, he thinks ruefully, is the sacrifice of his long-awaited coffee.

The world around him clamours with it, and inside he feels his heart being gripped. He does not pause to consider that this is an unhealthy relationship to hold with coffee, of all things, too swept up is he in rage towards the architect of this disastrous event.

Kylo, whose face is as blank as a wall.

Unfortunately, my words here abandon me in the face of the unfathomable emotions which now sweep over Armitage Hux, and as such, I must instead take you back to Kylo, who is stoically realising that he is more fucked than he would have been if he'd just run all the way to the minivan without stopping.

Hux does nothing for a disturbing amount of time, until the point at which he turns his eyes to Kylo, colder and sharper than ever before. Without saying a word, Hux marches past him, over to the group, the members of which have been watching these tragic events unfold, enraptured. He walks straight through them over to where the minivan is just around the corner, Rey sat in the driver's seat, thoroughly unaware of everything which has just happened.

The sound of the door sliding open is followed by a distant, “Hux! I'm glad you decided to come!” from Rey.

Kylo swallows hard.

Eventually, Poe approaches and leads him over to the van with them, a hand on his shoulder.

“I'm so fucked,” Kylo croaks. He's still clutching Hux's textbook.

“Hey man,” Poe says to him, “you were the one who said he was willing to make the sacrifice.”

They pile into the minivan, but nobody else wants to sit next to Hux lest he explode, so Kylo is forced into the seat next to his boyfriend, who is staring resolutely out the window. The minivan starts and begins to drive, a light chatter starting up among everyone else and the radio providing an undertone of _Werewolves of London_ in the background.

“Give me the sticker,” Hux orders him after a minute, holding out his hand. His tone isn't gentle – no it's harsh, scarily harsh – but it's not so loud everyone in the minivan has their attention called to it.

Kylo hands it to him, letting his fingers linger on Hux's for just a moment, in the hope he'll realise that Kylo didn't mean to chuck his coffee on the ground, and forgive him. Hux turns, shuffling a little in the seat as he sticks the nametag to his chest, on top of the sweater he's wearing. Then, he looks Kylo directly in the eyes.

“You will make this up to me,” he tells Kylo. There's no hint of a joke in there, just a cold stare. (Honestly, two people like them never should have started a relationship; they can both be stubborn and annoying and, and, and, except they are absolutely mad for each other, and Kylo knows by the heady feeling in his chest that he'll happily make this up to Hux any damn way he wants.)

“Rey,” Kylo says without looking away, “let's make a stop at Starbucks.”

**Author's Note:**

> There you have it. Kylo sacrificed Hux's good graces, Hux sacrificed his studying, and both sacrificed his coffee. The moral of the story is I don't know where I was going with this. Hope you enjoyed my first (hopefully of many?) Huxloween offerings. Im on [tumblr](https://elderbwrry.tumblr.com/).


End file.
